Foldable pocket tool



Nov. 11, 1952 J. HOPTA 2,617,187

FOLDABLE POCKET TOOL Filed 001;. 1, 1949 et I IN VEN TOR.

if desired, an inclined plan upper face or both upper and lower inclined faces.

When it is desired to release the in-folded knife blade I2 for out swinging movement to the operative open or extended relation to the handle sheath, the locking member I6 is engaged by a finger of the user and thereby out swung laterally from the interior of the handle sheath through a slot I1. Such outswinging of the lock member removes the same from the path of rotative movement of the knife blade butt portion 13, and consequently withdraws obstruction to such movement so that the knife blade can be swung out of the handle sheath to desired extended relation thereto. A blade ejector leaf spring 20 may be fixed within the handle sheaths (see Figs. 1 and 2) which, when the blade is released from engagement by the locking member IE, will function to automatically out swing said blade from the handle sheath interior. After the blade has been out swung to operative extended relation to the handle sheath (see Figs. 1 and 2) which, when back into the interior of the latter, thus interposing the body of said locking member between the back of the handle sheath and the opposed side edge of the blade butt portion I3. As the locking member is in-swung across the blade butt portion I3, the inclined plane under face I9 of the former will engage the opposed side edge of the latter with a strong wedging action and thrust, thus securely binding the blade butt portion against rotative movement, and thereby rigidly supporting the blade against collapse or displacement from its operative extended relation to the handle sheath. The wedged relation of the locking member to the blade butt portion also frictionally resists accidental displacement ofthe locking member from its operative relation to the blade.

'It will be obvious, when it is desired to close the knife blade into the handle sheath, that the locking member I6 must be outswung so asv to permit rotative movement of the blade butt portion I3. After the blade is folded into the handle sheath, the locking member I6 is returned to its in-swung holding position so as to engage the opposite side edge of the blade butt portion l3, which is then opposed thereto, and thus to firmly hold and secure the blade against displacement from such infolded relation to the handle sheath (see broken line representation of the blade shown in Fig. 1).

It will be understood that the handle sheath may be equippedwith more than one blade. This is indicated in Fig. 4, wherein the butt portions I3 oftwo blades arranged side by side are shown, in which case the handle sheath is increased in width to accommodate the plurality of blades, and the lockingmember I6 is'increased' in width to engage the plurality of butt portions.

' In Figs. 5 and 6a modified form of laterally swingable locking means is shown. This modified arrangement comprises a locking member body 2I which is pivotally connected by a hinge pin 22 to the back wall of the handle sheath, and so as to lie intermediate said back wall and a butt portion I3 of a knife blade. Projecting from the underside of the locking member body 2I is an i'nterlocklug 23 adapted, when the looking member body is in-swung to blade holding position, to enter and engage one or the other of interlock notches 24 which indent the side edges of a blade butt portion I3. The locking member body 2| may be formed similarly to the 4 previously described locking member I5 so as to be subject to the mode of manipulation above described with respect to the latter. Alternatively, the locking member body, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is provided with an upstanding external finger piece 25 which is connected by a shank 26 to the upper face of said locking member body ZI. Said finger piece overlies the outer surface of the top wall II of the handle sheath, and said top wall is cut away transversely to provide an opening or way 21 to permit outswinging movement therethrough of the finger piece shank 26, when the locking member is manipulated for out and in swinging movement relative to the handle sheath. It will also be understood that the external top finger piece arrangement may be optionally utilized in connection with the form of locking member I6 first described, as an alternative to the indented finger engageable end portion thereof.

Shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is another form of looking means for optionally holding a tool element in either infolded or outwardly extended relation to a handle sheath to which it is pivotally connected. This arrangement of locking means comprises a pair of superposed cooperative looking members 28 and 29 which are pivotally connected with the back wall II of the handle sheath, and respectively subject to outswinging movement in opposite directions through slots I! provided in the side walls I0 of the handle sheath. Said locking members 28 and 28' are of complementary wedge shape in cross-section, with their meeting faces providing matchingjinclined plane surfaces 30 and 3!. It will beobvious, when the locking members 28 and 25 are in swung to operative meeting relation over an underlying blade butt portion I3, that the same will, by their wedging action, be strongly thrust against the side edge of the blade butt portion which is opposed thereto, and thus will firmly secure the said butt portion and tool element against rotative movement, while at the same time said locking members will be frictionally retained against accidental out swinging movement and release from the engaged blade butt portion.

Itwill be understood that variations other than those above specified may be made without departing from the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. It is, therefore, intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A pocket or hand tool comprising a handle sheath of U-shape cross-section formed by spaced side walls and a connecting back wall, a tool element having a butt portion pivotally connected to and between the side walls of the handle sheath at an end of said sheath, whereby the tool element can be swung into and out of the. sheath, a plate-like locking member pivotally connected by one end thereof to and beneath the back wall of the sheath to swing in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the side walls of the sheath, through openings provided in said side walls, across the sheath interior from one side thereof, said locking member being of an overall width greater than the transverse width of the handle sheath, said. locking member tapering in thickness from its outer edge toward its inner edge, thus being of wedge shape in crosssection, said locking member, when inwardly swung across the handle sheath, being adapted to wedge between the back wall of said sheath and the edge of the tool butt portion opposed thereto, whereby to firmly secure the tool element optionally in either out swung or in folded relation to the handle sheath, and said locking member having an external finger engageable means for manipulation thereof.

2. A pocket or hand tool comprising a handle sheath of U-shape cross-section formed by spaced side walls and a connecting back wall, at least one tool element having a butt portion pivotally connected to and between the side walls of the handle sheath at an end of said sheath, whereby the same can be swung into and out of the sheath, a pair of superposed plate-like locking members pivotally connected to and beneath the back 'wall of the sheath by a pivoting rivet common thereto, said locking members being adapted to be swung in planes perpendicular to the planes of the side walls of the sheath, through openings provided in said side walls, across the sheath interior respectively from opposite sides thereof, each locking member tapering in thickness from its outer side edge toward its inner side edge, whereby the same are of oppositely directed wedge shape in cross-section, said locking members when inwardly swung across the handl sheath into operative superposed relation, being adapted to wedge between the back wall of said sheath and the edge of a tool butt portion opposed thereto, whereby to firmly secure a tool element optionally in either out swung or in folded relation to the handle sheath, and each locking member having an external finger engageable means for manipulation thereof.

3. A pocket or hand tool comprising a handle sheath of U-shape cross-section formed by spaced side walls and a connecting back wall, a tool element having a butt portion pivotally connected to and between the side walls of the handle sheath at an end of said sheath, whereby the tool element can be swung into and out of the sheath, a plate-like locking member pivotally connected by one end thereof to and beneath the back Wall of the sheath to swing in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the side walls of the sheath, through openings provided in said said walls, across the sheath interior from one side thereof, said locking member being of an overall width greater than the transverse width of the handle sheath, said locking member, when inwardly swung across the handle sheath, being adapted to engage between the back Wall of said sheath and the edge of the tool butt portion opposed thereto, whereby to firmly secure the tool element optionally in either out swung or in folded relation to the handle sheath, and said locking member having an external finger engageable means for manipulation thereof.

JOSEPH HOPTA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 195,319 Whitehouse Sept. 18, 1877 991,316 Johnson May 2, 1911 1,443,701 Comstock Jan. 30, 1923 1,638,749 Santoyo Aug. 9, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 273,091 Great Britain June 20, 1927 

